Manchester City know who could stand in their way as they aim to go all the way in the Club World Cup having made the knockout stage.
Manchester City confirmed their place in one half of the Club World Cup knockout stage after beating Juventus in Orlando. The Blues trailed the Italian side at the top of their group heading into the game but a 5-2 win saw them leapfrog them to map out their route to the final.
Pep Guardiola and his players did not know who they would face in the round of 16 when they left the stadium, with Group H matches taking place a couple of hours later. However, Real Madrid picked up the win that they were expected to to top their group to lock in their last-16 tie against Juve.
City, meanwhile, will face Al Hilal after the Saudi Pro League side took advantage of Salzburg’s defeat to Real to defeat Pachuca and claim the second qualifying spot in the group. The draw means Joao Cancelo gets an unlikely reunion with City with the game taking place in Orlando next Monday (June 30) at 9pm local time (2am Tuesday UK time).
Get through that and City will play either Inter or Fluminense in the quarter-finals, again in Orlando, on Friday July 5 at 3pm local time (8pm UK time). City beat Fluminense in the final of the Club World Cup in 2023 back when the competition was in its old format, while they beat Inter in the 2023 Champions League final to get there.
Watch the Club World Cup free on DAZN
The FIFA Club World Cup will see 32 of the world’s best club teams including Man City, Chelsea, Real Madrid, PSG and Bayern Munich play across 63 games from June 14-July 13.
Fans can watch every match live and for free by signing up to DAZN.
Should City make it to the last four, the semi-final will be held in New Jersey on Tuesday, July 8 at 3pm local time (8pm UK time). Palmeiras, Botafogo, Benfica and Chelsea are the potential opponents, with big-hitters Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich on the other side of the draw.
The final takes place on Sunday, July 13, again in New Jersey with a 3pm local start (8pm UK time). City headed into the tournament with aspirations of winning it and will be emboldened after the thrashing of Juventus that marks them as a contender heading into the knockout stages.
“12 years ago never, in the world would you expect City in the Club World Cup,” manager Guardiola said. “We played in the mid-table, now we are facing the elite teams, it’s an honour.
“We want to face every game with this rhythm. Fair enough, if we play with that rhythm and win or lose it’s fine, you can’t win everything, but you have to refine yourself, again.
“We want to win but the important thing is to connect ourselves like last season.”
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